I kicked a 4yo out of a cafe for not being vegan

It began with a mum asking a waiter for a plate... and ended with her saying he was "disgusting for depriving a child."

No matter how popular veganism has become, it still can be misunderstood in society.

A perfect example of this is the story of a mum storming out of a vegan cafe after they refused to let her four-year-old eat a homemade sandwich.

The real issue, though, was something the mum didn't accept; the contents of the sandwich.

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RELATED: I asked him not to cook meat around my vego folks

"It was clear we're fully vegan"

The details of what happened were revealed by the person serving the woman and child.

"I was working in a vegan restaurant that offered a wide variety of vegan foods, savoury, sweet, etc. It had been a vegan cafe for years and all the branding made clear it was fully vegan.

"But I've seen people feeding their kids yoghurt things and turned a blind eye, and also never specifically examined jars of baby food to check they are vegan. Generally, these are in self-contained pots and the parents use their own little spoons."

But when the woman came in with her pre-schooler and asked for a plate on which to eat the sandwich off, the stakes (pardon the pun) were upped.

"This is already a more substantial meal than what we usually expect but whatever," the server continued.

"Then, when I take their food over I realise that the kid is eating a ham sandwich (quite obvious as the kid is ripping it up and spreading bits about)."

Image: iStock

The person told the woman that the sandwich needed to be packed away, but the mum retorted that her child shouldn't go hungry. 

They then further explained that, "In the interests of our other customers we cannot have ham eaten here, especially inside and especially using our plates."

The mum finally sees that she's being made to leave, but has one last comment to share.

"On the way out, she shouts that I'm disgusting for depriving a child of their food."

RELATED: My daughter’s daycare fed her yoghurt; she’s vegetarian

"Eating meat on a plate for vegans is unacceptable"

The comments in response to the post accused the mum of disrespect.

"Eating meat on a plate that is strictly for vegan food is unacceptable," read one.

"The other meals you mentioned were baby food and a yogurt type meal, not PORK for crying out loud.

"Kids don't belong everywhere and others shouldn't have to accommodate because of a kid. If he won't eat a vegetarian/vegan option, then he doesn't belong in that restaurant.

"Don't take your kid to a bar and get mad when people are drinking and don't take your kid to a vegan restaurant and feed him meat (especially pork). I truly hope you threw the plate away."

Others agreed, with another adding, "I'm a hardcore carnivore and I feel like bringing a ham sandwich to a vegan restaurant is totally crass.

"Veganism might not be for me but it doesn't cost me anything to respect others' choices."

Finally, this commenter was concerned about how the situation was handled: "I have a kid and I know four-year-olds can be extremely picky.

"In situations like this you take a step back. Nobody is getting hurt, so you let it happen once.

"Then talk to coworkers and the owners about what to do in the future. If everyone agrees that eating a meat sandwich is not allowed then you post that on the wall and point to it next time."

Would you take a ham sandwich to a vegan cafe? Let us know in the comments on Facebook!

Originally published as I kicked a 4yo out of a cafe for not being vegan